Zaporizhzhia NPP faces blackout risk after Russian troops damage key power line

Energoatom, Ukraine's largest power producer, reported the information.

“Europe's largest nuclear power plant is again on the verge of blackout,” the company said.

On Thursday, Russian troops damaged the external overhead line of the Zaporizhzhia TPP-Ferrosplavna OHL-330kV, through which the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP received power from the Ukrainian power grid to meet its own needs.

Energoatom explained that ZNPP is currently connected to the Ukrainian power grid by only one power line, the 750kV overhead line Dniprovska. In case of its damage, an emergency will arise due to the loss of external power supply to the pumps that cool the reactor cores and fuel pools of ZNPP. 

“Under the'management' of the Russian invaders who are temporarily occupying the ZNPP, degradation in all areas of operation is constantly deepening. The recent fire, when one of the two existing cooling towers of the NPP completely burned down due to negligence or deliberate arson, has now been compounded by the threat of losing external power to the plant. After all, the lack of competent, qualified and licensed personnel and the transformation of ZNPP into a military base makes it impossible to operate the plant without fail,” the company emphasizes.

The statement also emphasized that the Zaporizhzhia NPP should immediately come under the full control of Ukraine and its legal operator, Energoatom. It called for the withdrawal of Russian military forces and equipment from the plant, noting that this is the only way to restore nuclear and radiation safety across the continent, according to energy experts.

Energoatom reminded that since the beginning of the Russian occupation, Zaporizhzhia NPP has already experienced eight full blackouts and one partial blackout with the launch of emergency diesel generators and safety systems. Their failure can cause an emergency.

• On August 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Russia is threatening the world with a potential catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) while using its territory as a launch site for attacks on Nikopol and surrounding areas.